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Sonic Sea - Impacts of Noise on Marine Mammals

Marine life exists in a world dominated by sound. From pistol shrimp to blue whales, marine species use sound to find prey and communicate, sometimes over distances of hundreds of miles or more. But over the last 100 years or so, increasing levels of anthropogenic noise from shipping, oil and gas exploration, naval sonar training, construction, and other activities have begun to drown out the ocean’s natural sound. For whales, dolphins, and other marine life, this has resulted in a myriad of impacts, including stress, deafness, avoidance behaviors that have diminished feeding opportunities, and even death. Fortunately, in many cases, relatively simple solutions exist to mitigate these problems; what is needed is the political will.